AEW Rampage 11/8/2024

AEW Rampage 11/8/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/aew-rampage-1112024.html

Hikaru Shida vs Viva Van

Shida side headlocks her and they shoulder battle. Viva side headlocks her. They trade waistlocks. Shida spinning waistlocks her and drops her.

Viva hangs over the apron edge and Shida running knees her. Viva spinning heel kicks her. Viva hits mounted forearms. Viva rolls and poses. Shida hits shots to Viva's gut. Shida forearms her and Viva fires back. Shida hits forearms then 2nd rope dropkicks her. Shida hits bad corner punches then diving facebusters her off the 2nd rope.

Shida running knees her for 2. Viva springboard crossbodies Shida for 2. Shida cradles her for 2 then brazilian kicks her. Shida hits a falcon arrow for the win.

Thoughts: This wasn't any good and I didn't expect it to be. Shida is not what she used to be at all and Viva has never been impressive. She's just not super athletic, she does the same stuff no matter what role she's in and she doesn't have the logic of wrestling down. Look, I'm not against anyone getting work, but I really can't understand why she's used over Leyla Hirsch, Red Velvet or other girls who never make the show.

Harley Cameron is interviewed by Renee. Renee says it's been quite a week, month, few months and a year for her. Harley talks about her year, talking about breaking up The Outcasts, appearing at Wembley and encountering Anna Jay's backside. She said Thunder Rosa sacrificed her at the altar. She goes to talk about what the future holds and Renee says we have to move onto the next segment. She then says to feel the wrath of Harley Cameron.

The Infantry vs The Dark Order (John Silver and Alex Reynolds) vs The Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven)

The Infantry knock Kingdom out of the ring. John lariats Dean over the top then springboard twisting splashes Bravo. Alex slingshot splashes Bravo. Bravo mule kicks him. Taven hits shots on Bravo then goes up and over.

Taven dropkicks Bravo. Bravo takes shots from The Kindgom. Mike gets out of a double team in the corner then Dean stunners Mike on the apron. Bravo jumps on Mike as he hangs off the apron.

Mike is sent into the rails. Bravo knee drops Mike then suplexes him. We go to PiP break and return. Mike is on Dean's knee and Bravo fist drops him off the top. Bravo chinlocks Mike. Mike hits chops on him. Mike spinebusters Bravo.

Mike goes for the tag but Taven is down outside. Silver gets in and hits lariats on Dean. Silver back body drops him. Silver germans Dean, superkicks him then hits a backcracker variation. Taven spin kicks Bravo and hits some kicks on Dean. 

Taven springboard enzugiri's Alex. Taven moonsaults off the 2nd buckle outside. Taven goes up top, gets distracted by Lee Moriarty and is pushed onto the ropes. Taven takes russian legsweep + facekick. Bravo is flapjacked into an euro. Mike death valley drivers Dean.

Taven misses a corner splash then he rolls up Alex for 2. Alex facekicks Taven then pop-up knees him. Alex is popped up into a forearm from Mike. Alex takes a zig zag + powerbomb combo and is pinned.

Thoughts: This was a random one. It was fine but hard to care about with The Infantry now being heels and Taven/Bennett being faces. It didn't get over that much as expected but they did what they could with it.

Brian Cage comes out after and distracts Taven and Mike. Lance Archer then lariats Mike and Taven from behind. Cage sends Mike into the steps and rails. Lance hits blackout on Taven. Mike takes a chokeslam + powerbomb combo. 

Roderick Strong is interviewed by Lexy. He says he's not surprised MJF hired Don Callis' Family to do his dirty work. Jake Roberts walks in. Jake says Lance is his former client. He says he's here to talk about The Beast Mortos. He tells Strong to back off of him. He says he's messing with LFI and they need to focus. He says if Strong can't back himself up, Jake says The Beast will back him up for him. Strong says he needs another win and challenges The Beast for Collision.

Thoughts: Jake was hard to understand here but at least they are following up on Strong's crew trying to recruit Mortos.

We get a Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie video. They are drinking coffee outside like they are The Sopranos. Deonna says a girl broke her arm so she broke of hers. Taya says a man broke her heart and she stabbed his tires. She says that's revenge. Deonna says it's about sending a message sometime. She says unless you are prepared to invite The Vendetta to your lives, you know the choice. Taya says you know where to find them if you want to send a message of your own.

Top Flight vs JD Drake and Beef

Top Flight has dropped their pilot gear and are just back to wearing normal tights, likely because AEW fans crapped all over it for looking like gear Vince would make people wear. Darius side headlocks Beef. Beef runs through his back elbow and shoulders him over. Beef nearly falls over while catching Darius. Excalibur calls Darius "Dante". Dante top rope double stomps Beef's arm. Darius jumps over Dante and butt drops Beef's arm.

We see Private Party watching in the back. Beef cartwheels over Dante and dropkicks him. Beef corner lariats Dante. JD slingshot swantons Dante. Dante flips off of JD's back then flying headscissors him. Dante dropkicks JD and corner lariats him.

Darius suplexes JD with help from Dante. Dante slingshot swantons JD. We go to PiP break and then full break. We return and Dante hits forearms on JD. Dante springboard swantons JD then rolls into a splash on him for 2.

Dante flips over JD using the ropes then is flipped with  lariat. Beef crossbodies Dante on the ropes. JD speinbusters Dante. Darius tornado ddt's JD on the floor. Beef misses a top rope move on Dante. Dante flying knees Beef. Beef takes a legsweep into a ddt and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was fine and all with Top Flight winning as expected. Beef continues to look good as an athletic heavyweight.

Top Flight offer handshakes after. JD and Beef accept. Lio Rush then comes out after not being with Top Flight here.

Lio Rush vs Komander

These two fought last week on Rampage. Lio and Kom shake hands. They run the ropes quick. Lio does pin attempts. Kom backrolls him and armdrags him off the casadora. Lio hits forearms on Kom. They boot each other at the same time and catch each other's feet. Lio lariats Kom from behind then flips him with a lariat.

Lio backdrops him. Lio mule kicks him from the apron and asai moonsaults him. We go to PiP break and return. Kom hits forearms on Lio. Lio goes to handspring kick him but Kom kicks him. Kom springboard diving armdrags him then standing moonsaults him.

Kom enzugiri's Lio. Kom tries to backcracker Lio on the apron but Lio holds onto the ropes. Lio handspring kicks Kom off the apron then topes him. Lio blue thunders Kom for 2. Lio hits an F-5 for 2. Lio takes a belly to belly suplex into the buckles. Kom walks up the buckles and moonsaults Lio for 2.

Kom misses a rope walk SSP. Kom rolls up Lio for 2. Lio spin kicks him in the head and hits a springboard seated stunner. Lio top rope frogsplashes him for the win.

Thoughts: You'd expect them to go all out here and do some bigtime flying but they really didn't. They did have a fast paced match though. It was average and nothing too noteworthy. Lio winning is no surprise. This made Kyle Fletcher look bad though as Lio didn't have a hard time beating Komander while Kyle did.

Overall thoughts: As usual, the show was filled with random matches that will have no impact on any further storylines and we got some minor updates on some of their secondary storylines. It was easy to get through but nothing too special. I'd give this one a 5 out of 10.